Spaghetti Sauce and Garlic Breath
by Cartoonicat
Summary: Everyone knows spaghetti is the dish of romance, even if it's been swamped with garlic.


**Disclaimer: I wish I owned TMNT but, alas, I do not.**

 **A/N: Hey guys, been a while right? I promise promise promise that I am still working on the BBRae songfics and requests - just gotta find my motivation, it's somewhere around here. Anyway, I celebrated the end of the hiatus with a big ol' helping of spaghetti and I just had to write this.**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

"Mmm," April savored the taste of seasoned tomatoes dancing along her tongue.

Across from her sat an anxious mutant turtle, twiddling his thumbs and watching with baited breath. "D-Do you like it?" he asked, tone laced with hope.

"You've outdone yourself," she swallowed and flashed him that beautiful smile, "This is amazing, Donnie!"

He let out a relieved sigh as April shoveled in another forkful of his homemade meal, "Really?"

She nodded, chewing happily.

Smiling, Donatello spun his fork in a neat circle, effectively collecting a neat clump of spaghetti, "Thanks, heh. I tried a new recipe this time."

Pausing, April knitted her eyebrows together and then looked up from her plate. "You know, I have something that would go great with this!" she stood suddenly and made her way to the kitchen.

Curious, Donnie looked over his shoulder as the petite redhead rummaged through the fridge.

"Aha!" April pulled out a long, dark green bottle that appeared to be made of glass.

Raising his eyebrows in alarm, Donnie opened his mouth but no words came out. They were heroes - and underage! They shouldn't be drinking!

Returning with two glasses, April sat down next to him and smirked, "You're such a dork."

"Wha- we shouldn't- oh," Donnie noticed the label of the bottle and smiled sheepishly.

"Did you actually think I'd grab my dad's alcohol?" April laughed and poured them two glasses of sparkling grape juice, "He'd totally kill me."

He chuckled a bit before taking his glass, "Wouldn't he freak out if he knew I was here?"

"What do you mean?" she took a sip of her drink and licked the sugary taste from her lips, "It's not like you being a mutant turtle is a big surprise anymore."

"Uh, erm… that's not what I- we- you're right. You're right," Donnie quickly looked away and took a large gulp. The unsuspecting bubbles burned his throat and he choked awkwardly on the beverage.

"Careful, careful!" April patted him on the shell and handed him a napkin, "It's like soda. Can't just chug it down."

Donnie swallowed, wincing slightly, before taking the napkin and coughing into it. "Y-yeah, I see that now," he smiled weakly, revealing the gap in between his teeth.

April smiled back at him, "You alright?"

"Yeah, all good now."

She nodded and leaned back into her seat, stretching her arms up and letting out a yawn.

"Are you tired? You should get some sleep, April," the ninja took another bite from his plate.

Grinning, April sat up and shook her head, "And miss out on this amazing meal with my amazing best friend? Heck no!"

Suddenly having to force a smile, Donnie glanced down at his plate and tightened the fork within his grasp. _Best friends_ , he thought woefully.

"Seriously, though," she prepped another forkful of spaghetti, " _How_ did you make this sauce? You ought to give my dad cooking lessons."

"Oh," Donnie twirled his fork in circles, shrugging, "I just added a bit more garlic than usual."

"Garlic?" she raised an eyebrow.

Nodding, Donnie brought the fork to his lips, "Yeah, garlic makes everything taste good."

April made a face and looked down at the pasta, "But it makes your breath smell gross," she commented. Pausing, she looked back up at his surprised expression, "N-not just your breath! Everyone's! Garlic does that to everyone," she recovered, biting the inside of her cheek and looking back down at her plate.

"Oh," is all he said.

The flustered kunoichi shoveled a hefty forkful of spaghetti into her mouth, red tingeing her freckled cheeks as she stared holes into the plate before her.

"W-well," Donnie began, looking anywhere but at her, "I don't care if you have bad breath."

April's hasty chewing slowed and she smiled a bit, glancing over at him.

He chuckled in response, "What? Besides, I don't think you _could_ have bad breath."

Swallowing, April raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean? Of course I have bad breath sometimes. Everyone does."

"W-well, I don't know," Donnie blushed and twirled his fork in circles again, not sure of what to say that wouldn't make things awkward.

She laughed softly, shaking her head and taking another bite of pasta. "You're a dork," she murmured endearingly, covering her mouth.

"Birds of a feather flock together," he grinned.

"Oh really? Then I guess that makes…" the devious smirk fell from her face, "Yeah, I have no response for that."

Donnie snickered, "The great April O'Neil has been rendered speechless!'

"Haha, hey!" she flung a string of spaghetti at him, which landed on his forearm.

A fake gasp and devilish grin later, April found three strings of spaghetti plastered to her cheek. "Donnie, ew!" she laughed and wiped it off.

He shrugged, "Hey, you started it," and smiled.

"Here," April handed him a napkin to wipe his arm with, and then smiled softly.

"Hm?" Donnie looked up at her and set the napkin, in a neatly folded triangle, on the table.

She shook her head, "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" he inquired, standing up to collect their plates.

"You."

Donatello paused and looked down at her, face tinged slightly pink. "O-oh? W-what about me?" his voice climbed to an octave he didn't know he was capable of.

She giggled at his girlish squeak and stood as well, collecting her own, "I'm lucky to have met you."

He blinked, not yet realizing how close together they were standing between the two dining chairs. A smile eased his expression, "I'm the lucky one, April."

April looked up at him and, with her plate in one hand, rest the other upon his plastron.

Startled, Donnie felt a warmth spread through his body - the movement had been so sudden, so spontaneous.

"Donnie?" blue eyes bore into brown.

"Uhm…" he cleared his throat, "Y-yeah?"

"...Do you love me?"

Donnie's face lit up like a reindeer's nose and his jaw dropped. "April, you- I've…" he bit his lip.

Silence.

Slowly, she dropped her hand back to her side at his lack of an answer and forced a smile, "I'm kidding, Donnie. We, uh, better clean this up."

Confused, the ninja knitted his eyebrows together and just watched, dumbfounded, as she took the plate from his hands and walked towards the kitchen.

April placed the spaghetti sauce covered plates in the sink and ran water over them, scrubbing them harder than was necessary, "You can head home. Don't worry about the mess, I've got it."

"April…" Donnie watched her from the table.

"It's okay," she insisted, "You cooked, so I'll clean. Deal?"

He reached out, suddenly beside her, and took the scrubby from her hands, "April, look at me. Please?"

Refusing, April stared into the sink and gripped the soapy plate with an iron grip, "Let me clean, Donnie."

"No."

"What?" she looked over on instinct and was surprised to find his face mere inches from hers. This time, it was her turn to look flustered.

" _I love you_ , April."

April bit her lip and crossed her arms insecurely, not caring about the suds on her hands.

Donnie took a deep breath, "I love you so much it hurts, and I've been trying to tell you for a long time."

She looked away, tightening her arms across her waist.

"April?"

"I've... been horrible to you," April lowered her gaze into the sink again, then shut her eyes tight, "I'm so sorry, Donnie."

He shook his head, then, realizing she couldn't see him, reached out and hesitantly cupped her cheek. The size of his hand swamped her features, but the fact that he was so obviously different from her evaded him - all he cared about was the tiny drops of liquid forming in the corners of April's eyes.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, then squinted.

"April-"

"Ow!" she turned towards the sink, grasping for the faucet knobs, "I have soap in my eyes!"

Donnie quickly ran the faucet and guided her hands to the stream of cold of water.

April splashed her eyes, managing to make a mess of herself; water clumped her hair together and plastered it to her forehead while a plethora of drops fell onto her t-shirt. She stood there, with water sealing her eyes shut, and suddenly let out a weak chuckle, "You were right."

"What?"

"I'm a dork, too," she wiped the mist from her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm a dork for rubbing soap in my eyes," April breathed, "and I'm a dork for putting you through everything I have. I am just a great big dork, Donnie."

Donatello smiled softly, "No you're not."

"Why are you…" April felt tears stinging her eyes again and she quickly dried them, "Why are you always so nice to me? I'm always hurting you."

"I just told you, April."

She closed her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath, "But why?"

"April," he grasped for the leather strap across his chest, "I'd be here forever if I had to list the reasons why."

The kunoichi sniffled again, wiping her eyes, "God, what is _wrong_ with me? I'm such a crybaby…"

"Everybody cries, April."

"Not me," she huffed, then glanced at him once again. He stood there, fingers wrapped around the leather across his chest the way they always were. "Donnie?"

He raised his eyebrows, and she noticed the grip on his bo strap tighten.

"I really am… sorry."

"Aprl, it's fine-"

She clenched her fists, "No, it's not, Donnie! It's not okay, because you're… my best friend."

His eyes softened, "I know."

"And I love you, too."

Silence.

Donnie's eyes grew huge, "You- wha- you love… me?"

"Yes," she declared, reaching out and pulling him down to her height, "I do. I love you, Donnie."

His jaw dropped and then, suddenly, the arms wrapped around his neck pulled him into a kiss that tasted like tomatoes and reeked of garlic.

But Donatello didn't mind, and neither did April.


End file.
